The present invention relates to the field of lighting and, more particularly, to an improved heat sink for a light-emitting diode (LED) light fixture.
LED light bulbs have become an increasingly popular replacement to traditional incandescent and fluorescent lights. For high-powered applications, such as industrial lighting or streetlights, the LED light fixture typically includes a means for dissipating heat away from the LEDs as LED performance is temperature-dependent. Thermal regulation is further compounded when the LED light is used in an environment that often experiences high temperatures like a factory.
In an LED light fixture, the LED lights and heat sink are enclosed in a housing that is connected to the lighting system. The air trapped within the housing acts as an insulator, retaining heat; hence, a heat sink is required for heat dissipation. A conventional heat sink for an LED light is typically a grooved or finned component that provides substantial surface area to absorb the heat from the trapped air like those generally used in computers or other electronics.
Further, the more heat that needs to be dissipated, the larger the heat sink must be in order to provide ample surface area. Increasing the size of the heat sink also increases the overall weight and/or size of the fixture. This is particularly problematic when retrofitting an existing non-LED lighting system with high-powered LED lights. The high-powered LED light fixture must be able to fit into the space of fixture it is replacing and stay in the desired position.